The development of the transit potential of ukraine: multimodal transportation and custom issues

Abstract

Ukraine occupies a unique geopolitical position that has both advantages and disadvantages. It borders on land with Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia, and on sea with Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, and Turkey. The article discusses the advantages of such a location, especially at the crossroads of strategically important trade and transportation routes, which allows the development of transit potential, because, as is known, the economic situation dominates even the geographical one. The geopolitical position of the country is extremely advantageous, but at the same time difficult, as Ukraine is located in the buffer zone between the West and the Russian Federation. It turned out that this advantage of Ukraine has also become a disadvantage and Ukraine is forced to defend its independence from the enemy Russia. Russia has destroyed much of Ukraine’s infrastructure, transportation and industry. But the destruction also provides a unique opportunity to modernize Ukraine’s economy by building state-ofthe-art infrastructure. A unique combination of political and economic goals can be achieved by investing in infrastructure, connecting Ukraine to Europe and facilitating access to international markets for the country’s strong industrial base and highly educated workforce. We live in the era of globalization; therefore, it is very important that the national economy, especially that of our country Ukraine, meets the global requirements of the world. Due to its advantageous geo-economic location between the West and the East, its central position in Europe and its abundant natural resources, Ukraine has every chance to become a truly integral part of this global economy. The article is devoted to the study of the issue of the possibility of developing the transit potential of Ukraine with the help of the reform of the transport industry, in particular the multimodal transport, with an important role being assigned to the proper customs regulation. Ukraine has a great transit potential, but it is not realized at present. According to the British Institute of Transport Research, the transit index of Ukraine in 2018 is 3.75 (with a maximum of 5), which is the best indicator among European countries (for comparison, Poland, which has the second highest indicator, has only 2.92) (Kurgan M ., Kurgan D, 2018). The transport system, in particular the railways, has been reformed for a long time, but decisive positive developments are underway. In addition to railways, the leading place in the professional sense is occupied by maritime transport. 75% of Ukraine’s foreign trade is conducted through sea ports. Normal logistics and transport routes changed in February 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.